Some 35 kilometers west of Tegucigalpa on the way to Comayagua, in a high valley ringed with pine forest, is the roadside town of Zambrano. About 1.5 kilometers from Zambrano, along the dirt road to La Catarata Escondida (Hidden Waterfall), is Casería Valuz (tel. 504/898-6755 or 504/239-2328, caseriovaluz [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$40–60 d/t), an attractive lodge built with lots of wood trim, with 15 rooms of varying sizes and a kitchen/dining room downstairs. Rooms each come with hot water and many have balconies and a fireplace. Food packages cost US$25 per person for three meals. Out back are two cabins, each equipped with two bedrooms, and a kitchen.

The surrounding countryside is lovely and the air is pure—a good place to get away for a few days, if that’s what you’re after. Be sure to book your visit ahead of time to help arrange transport. Owner Jorge Valle Aguiluz, an avid outdoorsman, can arrange horseback trips nearby or driving trips farther afield in the surrounding mountain country.

On the highway just past Zambrano going toward Comayagua, at kilometer marker 36, is Parque Aurora (daylight hours Tues.–Sun.), a wooded area with fields and benches for picnicking, a small lake, and horses to rent; US$0.75 for adults, US$0.35 for children under 12.